Decision details

That the Part 1 (Public) Report be noted when considering the recommendations in the Part 2 (Exempt) Report to award the contract.

Point of Care Testing services are used for the cholesterol and HbA1C blood tests which are an integral part of the NHS Health Check programme that aims to prevent vascular diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease, and to raise awareness of dementia.  The current contract for the provision of this service was ‘called-off’ from the Public Health Framework following approval by the Council’s Executive at its meeting on 12^th February 2014, and will expire in March 2018 with no option for a further extension.  The existing provider is the sole provider of Point of Care Testing services appointed to the Public Health Framework Agreement, which is unlikely to be retendered after March 2018 due to the decommissioning and consolidation of a wider range of Public Health services across the Framework.  As the existing provider has been identified as delivering an efficient and high quality service which is trusted by GPs to provide accurate results, it is proposed in the Part 2 (Exempt) Report to maintain the current contractual arrangements and approve a three year exemption from tendering this service.